Jeremy Hellickson, who went 8-11 with a 5.43 ERA last year in 30 starts for Philadelphia and Baltimore, has joined the Washington Nationals on a minor league contract, sources told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.

Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy didn't experience any issues during his first on-field batting practice of the spring on Saturday.

Marly Rivera ESPN Writer

Dave Martínez was very complimentary of the work Miguel Montero has done in Nationals camp. Said that he got a bad rep last year with the Cubs, but that he really knows Miggy's competitive spirit and that he's been working well with his new teammates. Montero is competing for the backup catcher job in DC.

Mike Trout has been the single most valuable player through 2017, but looking ahead all the way to 2022, there's a crowded field of rivals to claim his crown.

Eddie Matz ESPN Senior Writer

Nats prospect Seth Romero was sent home on Monday morning for violating club policy. The 21-year old hurler was a first rounder last summer (25th overall), after a rocky junior year in which the University of Houston product was suspended twice before ultimately being dismissed from the program. Romero was recently ranked as Washington's fourth best prospect by ESPN's Keith Law.

Washington's Stephen Strasburg hit 98 mph with a few of his fastballs Saturday as he faced the Astros in his first start of spring training. He allowed one run and three hits while striking out two in two innings.

New Nationals manager Dave Martinez had a trio of camels brought to spring training camp Wednesday: four-legged visual aids to help players launch a journey aimed at getting over the franchise's playoff hump.

How well will Giancarlo Stanton fare in the Bronx? How about a full year from Justin Verlander in Houston? The three major projection systems for 2018 are out, and in a rarity, they totally disagree on four players. So who settles the argument? You do!

After converting 21 of 22 saves for the Nats during the regular season, Doolittle got married, bought a house and arrived at spring training to grab a closer role. That's a whole lot of closing in a very short time.